The Royal Court: rewritten
by HelenTheMoon
Summary: 5th year. Ryou's father and a group of archeologists have discovered the ruins of Kul' Elna, much to the interest of both the magical community and the holders of the Millennium Items. Meanwhile, in England a young wandmaker is planning growing tired of the hypocrisy around her and decides to do something, no matter how drastic it is. OC. No pairings.
1. Oddities

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Yu-Gi-Oh!**

**Author notes at the bottom.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**  
**Oddities**

Andrew Bakura was not a man that would consider his life extraordinary, odd, or abnormal. Then again, he was not your average person either. With both his wife and daughter dead, while his only son living alone in Japan while he himself was in another continent was not quite what one would have called an ideal family situation. But then again, given his chosen profession, it could not be helped. The blue-haired man was an archeologist with his field of specialty being Ancient Egypt. He could not bring his son to finish his schooling in a country where he did not even know the language. At least, that was what he told the rare few people who knew to ask.

However the son, Ryou, was indeed odd. The boy's appearance was highly unusual; he had snow-white hair and his skin was alabaster skin. The only thing that broke his monochromic looks were his bright green eyes. The doctors who had examined him when he was little had explained that all of these features were typical of albinism – even the green eyes were caused by lack of pigmentation. Ryou also had a deep fascination with the occult and everything supernatural. That was somewhat disturbing, especially given how young he was when he first expressed his interest, but considering that his mother Julianne was an occult lover herself, it wasn't odd that Ryou inherited her passion.

No, the _truly_ bizarre stuff started after Andrew had gifted him the Millennium Ring.

In hindsight, Andrew should have realized that there was something terribly wrong with the item in question from the very beginning. It was made of solid gold yet he had found it at the hands of a random street merchant, openly displayed as if it would not attract any thieves or authorities. When he tried to evaluate it, dating the item with the usual methods had proven next to impossible. The name of the item was impossible to verify. The only evidence that could possibly connect it to a historical period belonged in the Big Gap. There might as well be no evidence at all.

In the end, in spite of its obvious worth, the heads at the office considered it a well-made fraud and refused to archive it. Andrew, not wanting to give it up to a pawnshop, gave the Millennium Ring to his son as a gift. He had not seen him so delighted in a long time.

Back then, Ryou used to call over many of his friends at home, and obviously he wanted to showcase his new accessory. However, it was not long after he got it that everything started to go wrong. Nobody ever understood what happened. One moment Ryou was playing Monster World – his favourite game – with his friends, just like he always did. The next moment, all those friends were lying on the table with no signs of waking up, while Ryou had no recollection what had just happened. Andrew thought that there was a gas leak or something, but there were no such damages in the neighborhood. The children never woke up.

And that was only the beginning. Rumors started spreading at school about sudden shifts in Ryou's personality or even appearance, and it wasn't too long before the delinquents that used to bully the boy started falling into comas as well. Everyone started avoiding him like the plague, or even took advantage of him and forced people they did not like to play with him. Ryou was slow on the uptake; he never remembered anything, so it took him a while to connect the comas with his game. Shortly afterwards, Julianne and Amane died. That was when he requested to transfer schools. Andrew let him.

It did not help. His reputation travelled from school to school; everyone would talk in hushed whispers about the cursed boy. He looked so much like his mother that Andrew could not bear to look at him. And so they took their separate ways, neither of them talking about each other, trying to forget as much as they could.

Until several years later, when his superior Ishizu Ishtar forcibly brought Ryou back into Andrew's life. According to her, her younger brother Malik and his son were best friends. What were the chances? Why was her brother – which he only found out about just now – in Japan to begin with? And how did he even _meet_ Ryou?

He pointedly ignored her when she said that the boys' friendship was blessed by destiny.

Truth be told, Andrew had started noticing a great number of weird things about his job in the past few years, and Ishizu Ishtar seemed to be in the center of _everything_. The woman had literally appeared out of nowhere, with no past mentions in any academic circles or even a certificate to show that she studied somewhere. She credited most of her knowledge to her family's records and writings, as they were descendants of Ancient Egyptian tomb keepers. Andrew did not buy it at all; there was simply no way that a single family could keep records of a collapsed kingdom and forgotten religion for millennia on end. However, if anyone else had such doubts, they did not voice them. As a result, within a couple of years she had climbed to the very top of the archaeological world and made a fortune. Her reputation was spreading to a world-wide level.

She was odd as a person too. She talked about destiny a lot, how destiny chooses special people as its tools and how people can change destiny's decisions. Rumor had it that she actually believed in the Ancient Egyptian gods and worshiped them in mysterious ways. Others went as far as to claim that she was a Seer with flawless accuracy.

Of course, out of those who spread them, not many took those rumors seriously. There was a notable exception; that young man from England that often worked with them at the dig site, Bill Wesley. Overall he was a very friendly lad full of energy, enjoying the sun in spite of his skin turning as red as his hair, and he absolutely loved his job. However, he was an oddball in his own right. For some strange reason, he seemed to be completely unfamiliar with how technology works. In fact, he was frequently caught staring at various electronic devices as if he couldn't make heads and tails of what that thing was supposed to do, like they were something alien. He had gotten used to them over time, but the young man could not help himself but stare when any of his coworker brought a new gadget.

Then there were also all those unexplainable little things that happened all the time around him. Nothing too big to be honest, but rather small things that kept piling up on top of each other. Things such as being able to fix objects that nobody else could, carrying with him more luggage than considered possible – not to mention the sheer amount of stuff he could fit in there in spite of the tight space – owning many weird looking books, bottles and other things that no one was sure what they were. He even had a pet owl. Who in their right minds keeps a wild animal as a pet?

Those oddities became painfully obvious two years ago when Bill's family came to Egypt for summer. The father, Arthur, was acting in front of electric devices like a little child in Christmas, the third eldest son, Percy, was boasting all the time about "how greatly he could contribute in the collaboration between Egypt and England with his assistance to Mr. Crouch", and the twins, Fred and George, were constantly pulling some totally unexplainable and impossible pranks such as somehow painting all the metric tools a bright fuchsia. When Mrs. Molly yelled at them, they promised that they fix it up by tomorrow. Sure enough, the next day everything was back to normal. Fortunately, the last two children, Ron and Ginny, were fairly normal, albeit not without a hiccup from Ron, who had a level of rudeness expected by a boy his age.

Yet none of them held a candle to what Andrew and many other specialists of the field claimed to be the greatest madman of them all. Professor Arthur Hopkins, who claimed that he had found Atlantis. _Atlantis! _It was not the only time he had made such exaggerated claims. Earlier in his career, he had theorized and strongly supported that the Ancient Egyptians at the time of the Big Gap used to battle with monsters and that the curse of the Pharaoh was real.

Feelings were mixed on that last part. Most shrugged off the whole thing and dismissed it as a myth. However others were remembering stories when the curse of the Pharaoh was mentioned. How many wears ago an archeologist with his two companions had entered an undiscovered tomb and only the archeologist himself ever came out. How a museum manager in Domino City had died from heart attack right after the premiere of an Ancient Egyptian exhibition, and under mysterious circumstances. Even stories about tomb keepers that tested people to see if they were worthy of entering the grounds they were guarding. And if they were not, they killed the trespassers.

While such things had not happened in his career – Millennium Ring not withstanding – those rumours were making him quite nervous, especially the latter one. It was blatantly obvious to him that Ishizu Ishtar had something to do with it. She never confirmed or denied it. Instead, she gave some vague response about how sacred the duty of the tomb keepers was. Bill Wesley on the other hand acted as if he could break the curse of the Pharaoh and he knew it. That resulted in some sort of Cold War between the two; a level of passive aggressiveness that one learned either by being in the office, or by being British.

Petty little insults thrown here and there, always trying to get the last word in any conversation... It was growing tiring very quickly.

Right now Andrew was sitting under his tent at the digging sight, working on some paperwork. There was a very odd discovery recently that he and his team believed that it was worth researching. The very first scriptures from the era of the Big Gap, the one era that there were practically no information about, not even the names of the Pharaohs that ruled at the time. Those scriptures appeared to be a folklore story about a massacred village and its demon guardian. Such contents were very unusual, as typically any and all scribers worked for the Pharaoh and only recorded what he ordered them to. Why would a Pharaoh ask for the recording of such a tale?

According to the scripts, the village's name was Kul' Elna. At first they had thought it was fictional, but to the immense surprise of the research team, a few locals had confirmed that it really existed. Thanks to them, they were able to narrow its location at the east coast of river Nile, close to the border with Sudan. After that, the team was more than excited to start excavations in the area; it might provide some great historical information, as the massacre mentioned was never heard of before. Everyone strongly believed that there was a huge conflict in Egypt that for whatever reasons everyone of that era made sure that it stays off the records, and that Kul' Elna was the first piece of the Puzzle. If this tale was proven to have a grain of truth in it, it could be the discovery of the century.

It was late at night when he finally returned to the small apartment that he rented in the city. Thankfully, the government's funds included housing so he did not have to pay rent.

He started digging through his pockets for his keys when he spotted a something white beneath his feet. A bill? Probably not.

He picked it up and examined it closer. As he had guessed, it was not a bill but a letter. It had a lot of stamps on it as well as a priority mail seal on it. Andrew had no idea who could have sent it.

He saw the name. He almost dropped the letter.

It was from his son.

The two never talked to each other. They had tried to keep some contact in the first few months that they lived separately, but that quickly died down. Andrew racked his memory but it was not Ryou's birthday or any sort of anniversary. He had not been late in sending him money either. Why would Ryou send him a letter? And why was it so urgent?

The hallway was not the best place to solve those mysteries. With that in mind, he got in his apartment and locked the door behind him, only bothering to leave his back on the couch before carefully – much more so than his usual manner – opening the letter.

_"__Father,_

_I know what you are planning on doing next and I'm telling you. DO NOT GO TO KUL' ELNA."_

Had Andrew been drinking something, he would have spat it out in shock. Instead, he chocked on his own spit. His eyes watered and it took him a while before his breath was calmed enough to be stable. How in the world did_ Ryou_ know about_ Kul' Elna_? The archeologists had only discovered about the site a few days earlier. There was absolutely no official statement about it, much less anything that could have made it to the news.

This… This made no sense. Andrew sat there for a full minute trying to find an explanation. Eventually he shook his head, and continued reading.

_"__That place is dangerous. Nobody has left it alive. There are still people living there, and they want no intruders at all. Archeologists are DEFINITELY included. Last time someone messed with them, the museum manager here in Domino City died. Ishizu-san knows that too, and you know how much authority she has over the Antiquity Board. You can ask her if you don't believe me. For your and everyone's safety, do not go to Kul' Elna._

_Ryou."._

For long five minutes Andrew Bakura stared at the sheet of paper he was holding. "Wha- What in the world is _this!?_" he finally blurted out. Thousands question went through his head. How did Ryou know about Kul' Elna? How did Ishizu Ishtar know about Kul' Elna? Why would she tell something like that to Ryou of all people? Why did he mention the death of the museum manager? The man had died of heart attack, but Ryou made it sound like murder. And what did he mean by "people still living there"?

What is going on?

* * *

Several hundred miles away – or kilometers, depending on how one counted – seventeen years old Ryou Bakura collapsed on his bead exhausted. He had done anything physically strenuous, but it had been one of the most taxing things he had done in his entire life.

Who knew that sending a letter to his estranged father could be so difficult?

A few days earlier he had a sudden urge to do a reading with his tarot deck. It was an urge he was familiar with and had learned to always obey it. However, as he set down his cards, he was hit with a powerful vision of his father going to Kul' Elna.

That was where the comprehensible images ended. The rest was merely flashes as if in fast forward, and Ryou could only make out bits of it. However it was enough to make him nervous. He did not need any vision to tell him how enraged the spirits would become if a stranger stepped in their grounds.

As soon as he regained his bearings, Ryou called Ishizu on her personal phone and told her everything. Right after that, he wrote that letter to his father and prayed to Ra that his father would take his word by heart and won't go.

Now, one week later, and Ryou was still worried sick.

"No need to worry about that mortal this much, Ryou. I bet that you freaked him out so much that he won't even dare to come out of his tent." Ryou raised his head to face the man that had just talked. Tall, muscular, with the typical Egyptian tan, blue eyes with a tint of purple, white hair and a nasty three-lined scar that started right under his right eye and almost reached his chin. His clothing was also ancient Egyptian, selected precisely to attract attention. A long blood red sleeved cloak with white trim, a pale yellow extra long robe with a hood under it, a navy blue kilt that reached just above his knees, a simple but well made pair of sandals, and loads of gold bracelets. Around his neck he sported the Millennium Ring, glittering on the sunlight coming from the window.

After Zork's defeat, the portion of Zork that was infused with Yami Bakura left along with him, leaving an exhausted Thief King Akefia behind. Ryou was terrified to find out – first Zork, now the guy that had unleashed him in the first place!? – but he soon found out that Akefia, despite being as sadistic as the previous spirit of the Ring, and in general sharing many common traits with him, he was not evil. Not in the way he and the others were used to. He was just human. And Ryou was glad for that.

"Sorry, but I can't help it", replied Ryou softly. "Father was always very wary of me.".

"Well, that's _his _problem. All the more reason why he should listen to you."

"I guess you're right…"

Suddenly the phone rang. With a groan, Ryou got off the bed and picked it up, fearing the worst. Had his father decided to call him? "Hello?" he greeted.

He was greeted with an excited voice. _"Hey Ry, what's up!?"_

"Malik!" The blond teen never failed to bring a smile to his face. His excitement was infectious. "How are you?"

_"__Great! I have some great news! But you go first, how are you?"_

"I'm fine", he lied.

Malik however managed to pick up his friend's worried tone. _"Let me guess; still worried about your old man?"_

"Well, yeah…" the albino admitted reluctantly.

_"__No need to worry Ry!"_ chirped Malik on the phone. _"I got that taken care of!"_

"What do you mean?", asked Ryou suspiciously.

_"__Ishizu was thinking about ways to keep your old man here in Cairo, and she came up with this awesome idea…"_

Now Ryou was growing very suspicious. What idea could Ishizu-san have possibly thought up to have Malik so excited? "What idea?"

_"__You and the gang will get to spend your summer here in Egypt!"_

Ryou stood frozen over the phone for a couple moments trying to take in what Malik had just said. "In Egypt!? For real!?"

_"__Yep, for real! We have also invited Yugi, Gramps, and the whole gang! And Rebeca with Pr. Hawking too!"_

"Yeah, but…" A realization dawned on him. "I don't have the money. And I can't go unarmed either…" He grimaced. Even thought he didn't like walking around with a knife on his person, Ryou knew that going to Egypt unprotected and with his reputation was suicide. Plus, Akefia would force it on him anyway.

_"__No worries, Ry! We'll send you guys over with Kaiba's jet!"_

The two white-haired males gawked at that. "**Eeeeh!? Kaiba's!?**"

_"__Yep!"_, replied Malik, with a very cocky tone in his voice. _"Ishizu managed to rope him into it. He really hated that, but it helps that Mokuba _insisted_ his big bro should take a few days off!"_ he added laughing. Ryou sweat-dropped. He could imagine _exactly _what kind of conversation the three had. _"Anyway"_, continued Malik _"money and weapons won't be a problem."_ He sounded so confident when he said that. Just a small reminded to the two that the person on the phone used to run a world-wide criminal organization. _"You'll meet with Yugi and the others for the flight at the headquarters of KaibaCorp at six o'clock in the morning in four days from now. The flight will be really long and you'll need some time to check in the hotel too, so you'll have to get up early. Oh, I forgot; the hotel is paid too. But you'll have to use your own money for souvenirs."_

Ryou could not help but grin. It appeared that Malik had everything already planned out for. "Will I need to pack anything special?" he asked his friend.

_"__Yeah, actually. Your dueling outfit."._

"Ooh, the Tomb Keeper thinks he can challenge us~!" spoke up Akefia for the first time, with a huge Cheshire grin that showed off his fang-like canines.

"Well then. I guess I have some packing to do, don't I?" Vacation in Egypt with all of his friends! Ryou was very happy with the impromptu trip…

* * *

…But Andrew was not. "The nerve of that woman!"

Everyone jumped in surprise as the usually mild-mannered archeologist marched through the hallways, launching into a rant about none other than Ishizu Ishtar. "She arranged for _him _to come _precicelly_ next week on purpose! Just so we can't go to Kul' Elna!"

Bill had no idea who was that "him", but Ishtar had truly been doing everything she could to delay the excavation at Kul' Elna. From pointing out to the Antiquity board that they did not know the exact location and that it could be a myth, to pilling them up with more paperwork due to their current projects, the list was endless.

Dr. Bakura was very jumpy today. Nobody was exactly sure why, but they had caught him mumbling about some boy. Most probably his son. Everybody knew how much the man disliked talking about his son. However, today he went beyond discomfort. He had grown pale. Just what had happened?

Now that Bill thought about it, Dr. Bakura always seemed to be _afraid _of his son. The only reason the others knew he had a family in the first place was when he had mentioned the boy once in passing. Until that day everybody thought that the blue-haired man was single. After that, Dr. Bakura became even more determined not to talk about his son_._ He would talk about his dead daughter a little, he would talk about his late wife a little less, but he would always refuse to talk about his son. It was as if the boy was some sort of taboo to him.

And now, just as the entire team was ready to move on to the project at Kul' Elna, Ishizu Ishtar showed up and apparently told him something about his son. To Bill, it was yet another petty method to slow them down. Just great.

Bill Wesley had every reason to be suspicious of Ishizu Ishtar. Unlike his muggle colleagues, it was not her public image that made him uneasy around her. It was her image in the magical community.

It was a great shock to Bill to discover that the Egyptian wizards were _afraid _of the Ishtar family. They were whispering the name in fear as tales were told about the most Ancient and Noble clan of the Pharaoh's Tomb Keepers. Tales of blood-tainted traditions and magic so dark and powerful that it could not be comprehended by mortal man. Ishizu in particular was said to be a powerful Seer, making predictions at will and with perfect accuracy.

Other tales come to surface. Tales of a Pharaoh whose name was lost, a massacred village hidden under the ancient sands, with its restless and malevolent spirits killing the unlucky passengers mercilessly, thirsty for blood and revenge over a crime so horrid that no human dared to speak of it.

So when Dr. Bakura had announced that the team would go to dig up Kul' Elna, Bill had felt more than excited for the incoming challenge. He was an excellent curse breaker, and he knew that without boasting. He was certain that the Goblins would be very interested in the site as well. It should have come as no surprise that Ishizu would step up to stop them from progressing.

He could hear the archeologists around him gossiping about Dr. Bakura.

"Hey Bill, have you heard?" Bill looked at him. It was one of the newbies, a university student who was practicing here as part of his courses.

"Hear what? About the doctor just now?"

"Yeah. I've heard that his son and some friends of his will come to Egypt for vacation. I wonder if that's why he's angry."

Bill resisted the urge to curse in Merlin's name. "Of course it is."

He had a feeling that following days were going to be pretty interesting.

* * *

**Author notes: Just like the title and review says, this is a rewrite of my old fanfic called the Royal Court. While it is by far my most successful story, in hindsight it suffers from many spelling, grammar and pacing issues, as well as a complete lack of plot. Overall, it was overly ambitious and way beyond my abilities at the time.**

**While I still do not have a planned plot, I believe that a proper rewrite is in order so I can correct all these issues. Perhaps the plot will come along. This chapter has not suffered many changes - for the most part I just filled it out - future chapters will be altered to a greater degree. First time readers should have no problem following either.**

**I certainly hope that you leave behind a review. I could use some constructive criticism.**

**Signed, HelenTheMoon.**


	2. Reunions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Yu-Gi-Oh!**

* * *

**Chapter 2  
Reunions**

All things considered, preparations were surprisingly quick. Malik had only given everyone a few days to settle all their affairs – pay bills, buy whatever they needed, reorganize their schedule, that sort of thing – and now Ryou found himself filling his suitcase with all his necessities. Truth be told, he was actively trying not to draw his picks from his experience from back when he moved houses a lot. Those were the only times he had to prepare a suitcase. Not much of a pleasant experience. He had not gone in a proper vacation in… probably since before mom and Akane, really.

Now, however, he actually found himself enjoying the packing. It was a fun challenge to try and pick the few proper clothes for a few days instead of stuffing as many of his things in the smallest space possible. He started to understand what some people meant when they said they like travelling and he was not even out of his house yet.

After making sure that he was well and prepared to take on the hottest summer in his life, he stepped back and left Akefia to inspect his work. The guy was a master at travelling effectively, after all.

"Alright, I've packed everything."

"You sure?"

"Yes." He had triple checked just in case.

"Light clothes for the day?"

"Yes." He had been to Egypt before. He knew what the weather was like.

"Your coat for the night?"

"Yes." Like he said, been there before.

"All those cleaning stuff in your bathroom?"

"Yes." The first thing to pack in every trip. He heard from somewhere that some hotels had their own toothpastes and toothbrushes, but he did not want to take that chance.

"The knife?"

"It's under my belt." Here's hoping he does not get arrested on his way to KaibaCorp. Apparently Akefia still did not realize just _how_ strict the swords and firearms legislation was.

"The Ring?"

"Under my shirt." As always. Ryou gave up on trying throwing it away ages ago. The artifact doubled as a boomerang.

"The Eye?"

"In my pocket." Not the place he would have chosen to keep it. It was too obvious, and he generally did not want to touch something that once rested in Pegasus' eye socket. The spirit must have read his thoughts, for he raised an eyebrow.

"Why didn't you put it in your sack?"

"It's a handbag. And trying to get the Eye out of there would be too obvious if we had to use it." Akefia thought that over for a moment and then nodded. Better be paranoid than sorry.

"Your Ka deck?" It was a "Dueling" deck but Ryou did not bother to correct him.

"Along with the knife." That was standard practice.

"Your Dia-Dhank?"

"It's called Duel Disk. And it's in my suitcase." He was not going to use it anytime soon. They could not use it inside the jet, and if he had to summon for real he could do it without the device.

"Whatever. Your Tarot deck?"

"In my handbag." As always.

"Any dolls in case we need to trap someone?" Why did he need to have the doll-trapping habit as well?

"Also in my handbag." The spirit hummed in approval.

"Water and something to eat?"

Ryou paused and turned around to face a worried-looking Akefia. "You're acting like an over-worried mother hen and whether I have something to eat or not is _the last _thing you ask?"

"I'm not acting like a mother hen!" snapped Akefia. It was hard to tell with his skin tone, but he was flushed with embarrassment.

Ryou smiled softly. "Sure you aren't."

The Thief King scowled. "I'm not. I'm just making sure you know the basics."

The boy rolled his eyes at the spirit. "Anyway, food and water is also inside my handbag." After that, Ryou threw his paper tissues and wallet in his bag, grabbed his luggage and headed to KaibaCorp.

* * *

Ryou's apartment was not the only place that was busy. The Kame Game Shop was also bursting with activity.

Sugoruku Mutou was watching the clock anxiously, waiting for his grandson to come down. Yugi was both nervous and excited about the trip, so today morning he had been running around in panic in spite of how the two had gathered all their stuff the night before.

Problem was, in that nervousness Yugi had forgotten half the things he _should_ have packed. They should have left ten minutes ago. "Yugi, it's time we left! We're going to be late!"

"I'm coming, Grandpa!" The voice was accompanied by the sound of thumping against the staircase. Moments later, Yugi showed up running and dragging with him an oversized suitcase. He already looked exhausted though the "distance" was far from long. For all the running for his life that he had done in the last few years, his excitement still got the better of him.

Right behind Yugi was the ancient pharaoh, Atem, hovering in spirit form. He was staring at the younger boy with fond exasperation. "Are you ready, Aibou?"

Yugi nodded enthusiastically.

"For sure this time?"

Yugi glared at him, but did not hold it for long. The thought of vacation lifted his spirits too much to maintain a glare. "I can't wait to see Ishizu-san and Malik-kun again. And Bakura-kun will be there as well!" Yugi was very happy that Ryou would be with them. All the times before he was left out of Yugi's group because of the spirit of the Ring, but now they could all hang around each other just like they always wanted. Besides, the poor guy deserved a break. Out of all of them, he arguably had it the hardest the last few years, right there with Malik.

"I am a little worried about Bakura though", spoke Sugoruku, following the conversation between Yugi and the Pharaoh. During the battle in Atem's Memory World, the gang had found out that grandpa was the reincarnation of Atem's Royal Advisor, Siamun; just like Kaiba was the reincarnation of High Priest Seth. It was a big surprise for everyone when Sugoruku had revealed that he could always see the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. At the same time, it was a huge relief. Yugi did not exactly mask his conversations with the spirit of the puzzle, but being able to share them with his family made them so much more precious.

Yugi had guessed what his grandfather was thinking. "Yeah. It's the first time he will meet his father in _years_! Must be awkward…!" he laughed nervously. From what little they were told. "awkward" did not begin to cover it.

"I'm sure he'll overcome it", said Atem. "He has overcome far greater trials than this, all on his own. Now he has our support. He'll be fine."

"You're right."

The three got out of the shop, Sugoruku, locking the door behind them.

Atem frowned. "I am more worried about Bakura's father."

Yugi sighted. He knew what his other half was talking about. "Akefia-san isn't that bad."

"I would beg to differ", replied Atem stubbornly.

"Oh come on, Atem! Ryou likes him! That's saying something!"

"Now now Atem, Yugi is right. You should be more lax with the young lad", added Sugoruku cheerfully. He pointedly ignored how the "young lad" in question had a few millennia on him.

Atem scowled. He didn't like when he was losing an argument. But they were right. He had to put faith in Bakura's judgment. Besides, he knew better than anyone how the years could change a person.

Conversation ceased, and several minutes later they all

"HEY, YUGI! WAIT UP!"

The trio stopped in their tracks. Closing the distance were Yugi's most loyal friends, and he never failed to feel excitement upon seeing them. "Joey! Honda-kun! Anzu! Em, guys? Why haven't you got your luggage with you?" Only Anzu was carrying something on her, and it was just her regular handbag.

"Sorry, Yug… We forgot to tell you, but we can't come with you guys…"

Yugi felt the ground open under his feet. "Wh-why?"

"Well, Anzu and I will go vacation with my sis to America with Rebecca, Duke and the others…"

"And I will go vacation with my family…" continued Honda.

"It's just, my parent's and Honda's are tired of us running all over the world without warning, you know?"

Oh. _Oh._ Joey had never complained, but his parent's just did not care. Bakura-kun had no one to worry, and Malik's sister was in on the whole adventure. Anzu and Honda had never complained either, but still… He had no idea…

"Come on, Yugi, cheer up! We came to see you off!" beamed Joey.

Anzu winked at him. "Remember, our friendship is strong no matter how far we are. You can always just call, right?"

"They already said it so… Always with you, pal!" concluded Honda.

"Thanks, everyone!" cheered Yugi. "But, where do I call?"

They all exchanged their numbers. Anzu and Joey will be staying with the Hawkins family, so they gave their number. Honda had no idea what his hotel's number was, but he promised he would call them as soon as they arrived.

And with that, the gang headed to the Headquarters of the Kaiba Corporation, chatting along the way. Yugi felt much happier.

* * *

As they discovered, they were the last ones to arrive. Ryou and the Kaiba brothers were already waiting for them at the entrance.

"You're late", snapped Kaiba, ignoring his brother's gestures to play nice.

"Good morning, everyone", greeted them Ryou far more politely.

"Good morning, Bakura-kun!" greeted Yugi. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. All packed and ready to go."

"That's good to hear, Bakura-kun", said Sugoruku with a smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Motou", replied Ryou with a soft smile on his own.

Kaiba examined the group with his usual arrogant yet critical manner. "Hm. It appears that the mutt and the geek squad won't be joining us. Good riddance."

"Hey, watch it, money-bags!" barked Joey. "I'm not a dog!"

"Good riddance indeed…", muttered Anzu under her breath.

"Oh, how sweet!", moaned a raspy voice in ancient Egyptian with a mocking manner. Akefia had taken control of Ryou. His wide smirk exposed his fangs, creating a very creepy result. "The High Priest is _sooo _sad that his cute little puppy won't keep him company…"

Kaiba send the Thief King a murderous glare. "Shut up, you peasant", he growled in a manner eerily similar to that of his dragons. Though the effect was somewhat lost on the bystanders, as he had obliviously replied in the same tongue as the one that Akefia had used just now.

"Please, I was always far from a peasant. Your personal supplies had made sure of that…" And it was one hundred percent true. Priests were always some of Akefia's favourite targets, and the powerful ones even more so.

"Hm! You could never touch anything from my belongings."

"The guards would beg to differ."

"That is only because you are always using your dirty tricks to-"

"Em, Ni-sama?". Kaiba, hearing his brothers voice, snapped back to reality, only to see that everyone was staring at him weirdly. Mokuba looked like he had no idea what to make out of this, and the previously dubbed "geek squad" had a collection of raised eyebrows.

Outwardly, Kaiba's only response was a dismissive huff, not missing a beat. Inwardly, he was pushing his brain to switch back to Japanese. "Ronald!" he called his personal assistant.

The tall man with the suit and the black sunglasses ran immediately to his boss' side. "Yes, Kaiba-sachou?"

"Take their luggage and load them on the jet."

"Yes sir!" The man grabbed everyone's suitcases and with surprising strength he vanished into the building.

"Follow me", instructed Kaiba, not waiting for acknowledgment but instantly disappearing in the headquarters. Akefia gave control back to Ryou, and the five – or was it seven? – people headed into the skyscraper, the goodbyes of their friends breaking the silence of the early morning hours.

* * *

In Egypt the time was eleven o'clock at night, and the darkness had found Dr. Andrew Bakura sitting alone in his hotel room in Cairo. _Ryou will be here tomorrow_, was the thought that he was pondering in his head. This would be the first time he would see his son in over four years.

He was not sure how to feel about that.

In his head, there was this one, recent memory that was constanly on replay; his meeting with Ishizu Ishtar, just a few days earlier.

_Andrew was sitting at his office at the digging site, ready to renew his application asking for permission to begin the project at the village of Kul' Elna. He could not understand why they would not give him permission; they said that he was chasing fairy tales, but he was sure that there was something there. Besides, most of archeological studies started by chasing fairytales, and history had proven time and again that all myths and legends had a grain of truth in them. So why would they not let him? WHY!?_

_"__I see you are working as hard as always, Dr. Bakura."_

_The female voice snapped him out of his thoughts. The blue haired Egyptologist raised his head to face the last person he wanted to see in at this moment – or any moment, for that matter. "Ishizu Ishtar."_

_The ebony-haired woman smiled at him, her usual "I know something that you don't" smirk playing in her lips. "Good evening, Mr. Bakura", she greeted him in her usual manner. Polite, but with a hint of smugness. "It appears that the Antiquity Board has not approved of your application."_

_"__It hasn't", confirmed Andrew, focusing back to his papers. "But I will push them and I'll have approval by the end of the week."_

_"__Oh. really?" Andrew could not decide if that expression of interest and surprise was faked or not. "I take it than that you are not planning to stay in Cairo during summer."_

_"__No, I don't." Dr. Bakura knew that she was trying to drag him away from Kul' Elna. His son's letter fleshed through his mind for a moment, but he pushed it away._

_"__That is such a shame", commented Ishizu, not sounding sorry at all. In fact, she sounded midly like a cartoon villain._

_"__Why, did something happen?" If this was yet _another_ hindrance…_

_"__You see, this summer my brother Malik took the liberty to invite some of his friends and their relatives over here in Egypt to spend the holiday together. It happens that the retired Professor Sugoruku Motou is among them. I believe that you have heard of him."_

_Andrew remained silent. Of course he had heard of him; the retired archeologist who was the first person to ever enter the Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh and come out alive. Where was Ishizu getting at?_

_"__I have met his grandson, Yugi. He and your son Ryou are classmates at Domino High."_

_Andrew slowly turned his gaze to Ishizu, who was looking at him with serene eyes… and an amused smirk. "Malik invited both Yugi _and _Ryou to Egypt. He had invited the rest of their friends too, but unfortunately they couldn't come due to family circumstances. I have convinced Mr. Seto Kaiba to take the responsibility to bring here the two along with Professor Motou to the Cairo airport. They will arrive early in the morning, local time, in three days. Of course, I have paid all their expenses."_

_Andrew froze. "W-What did you say?" He tried to make sense of what he was hearing through the haze of disbelief. "Ryou… will be _here_!?"_

_Ishizu's smirk widened. "Yes. Your son accepted the invitation right away. My brother said he sounded very enthusiastic about it."_

_Andrew said nothing. He tried to slow down, to process the information…_

…and he still could not.

He sighed. Pondering these things in his head over and over would not do him any good.

* * *

In his own hotel room, Bill Wesley was writing a letter to send to his family in England.

_"__Dear mom,_

_How is everyone doing? I haven't heard of you guys for quite a long while!  
I'm sorry, but I can't come to England this summer. A muggle archeologist named Dr. Bakura is starting that project at the village of Kul' Elna, and the Goblins ordered me to aid him. They believe that there might are various hidden magical artifacts there. Of course, they're also wondering how many of these are theirs, and how they can profit from it all, but nobody says this part out loud.  
Well, in my opinion there are definitely artifacts there. There are many weird rumors about that village in the magical community here in Egypt, and I am more than excited to go. One of the muggle superiors, Ishizu Ishtar, is against me going with them, but then again she's against the whole thing to begin with.  
However, I'm not really sure that Miss Ishtar is a muggle. There are many rumors about them in the magical community here. Even the goblins know their name. I've never heard of an undercover magical family before, but it doesn't sound that crazy. I don't think that the Ishtars are working with You-Know-Who, but I will stay to find out more.  
As for me, I'm all good! I still keep my good reputation as the customer-bringer to Gringotts, and all that thanks to my style. No, I haven't cut my hair yet. Send my love to everyone back home! Write back soon!_

_Your son,  
Bill._

_P.S. Send my love to Fleur as well."_

Bill used a drying spell on the parchment and folded it. "Acio Galleons, Sickles and Knuts!" He gathered the coins and started counting. On a personal level, he did not have any financial problems, but he was not able to send as much money back as he would like. Nowhere close. Even a mere letter was expensive as hell. And his parents did not like "charity" either…

He really wished he could do more to help them.

* * *

"Thank Goodness, we are finally here!"

Mokuba had mustered what little energy he had left to announce his arrival to the whole world, and the others could not agree more. That was a hell of a flight.

"Remind me not to put you two in the same area for longer that fifteen minutes Ever. Again." Kaiba glared at the two Millennium Item holders. "I won't stand another flight like that."

"Ni-sama, you were also arguing with Akefia and Yami", reminded him Mokuba. Seto Kaiba looked at his younger brother full of surprise. Ever since when does Mokuba believe in the tales thrown by the Geek Squad? "By the way, what were you arguing about? You were talking in that weird language all the time and I couldn't understand a thing." Oh. _That _was why.

Before Kaiba could tell Mokuba that their argument was not of any importance, a platinum-haired Egyptian entered the fray. "Hey, everyone, what's up?"

"Malik!" beamed Ryou.

"Hey, Ry!" beamed back Malik, trapping the albino into a friendly headlock. "Ready to spread some havoc?" he asked, a mischievous grin adoring his face.

"Nope. But _I _am." The Thief King had taken his Hikari's place, wearing an expression that was almost identical to Malik's, complete with a tint of greed that everyone knew that it meant trouble.

"Don't you dare you try anything, you vandals." growled Kaiba, interrupting the two. "I've had enough of you lashing out on buildings already." Malik stared and the CEO in confusion while Mokuba sweat-dropped. _What were they arguing about?_

Atem, inside his Soul Room, face-palmed. _"Three thousand years and the grudge is still on." _Yugi nodded awkwardly.

"Oh, come on Kaiba!" whined Malik. "We won't do anything **too **bad!"

"Malik, you're not helping your case…" said Yugi with a nervous laugh.

_"__Those two need a babysitter…" _sighed the Pharaoh.

Kaiba threw the blond and the white-haired thief a cold glare, and turned around muttering something among the lines of 'psychotic criminals' and 'mental yard rejects'. Fortunately, neither of the people mentioned heard that.

"Now now young men" spoke Sugoruku for the first time, in an attempt to change the subject. "We should all be heading to the hotel." he suggested. "Everyone must be very tired, right?"

The four – six, depending on how you look at it – duelists nodded. The Yamis were never fond of airplanes and that, along with the far-too-early wake-up call, Kaiba and the Yamis' constant arguing, and the long flight had exhausted them. Not to mention, jet lag was only going to make matters worse.

Of course, none of this was true for Malik, who was cheerful as ever. "This way, Gramps!" The rest of the group grabbed their luggage and followed the blond out of the airport.

A pleasant surprise awaited them there.

"Odeon-san!" exclaimed both Yugi and Ryou, the former in joy, the latter in surprise.

_"__Great."_ grumped Akefia in disappointment. _"Just what we needed. Someone to supervise me and Malik."_

Ryou sighted. _"That's because you two need a babysitter."_

_"__No, we don't!"_ was the immediate protest.

Roy rolled his eyes at that, but he was smiling nonetheless. _"Malik doesn't seem to have much a problem with that."_ he pointed out. And it was true. Malik was at perfect ease with the tattoo-faced man.

The Thief King huffed but remained silent.

Odeon leaded the to a slick, black limo which met an approving look from Kaiba, With Odeon's help, in less than a minute everyone had loaded their stuff at the back of the limo and stuffed themselves in. Odeon took the driver's seat, and the lot went straight to the hotel.

* * *

Ryou was staring absent mindedly out of the window.

_"__Hey, Akefia."_, he asked through their mental link. The tomb robber turned his attention to his white-haired host. _"Do you think that father will hate me?"_

Akefia was taken aback by the sudden question, but he knew he shouldn't be surprised, really. _"Tch. You worry too much, Ryou. There is no need to be a nervous wreck."_, he replied softly. _"Then again…"_ he mused, making no effort to hide his amusement _"the old man will have quite a lot of questions, with that letter of yours. You even added a death threat in there!"_ he exclaimed with approval. _"Who knew you had it in you~"_

Ryou frowned. _"That was not a death threat. And I had no other choice. If it wasn't for that letter, by now my father would either have his soul eaten by the spirits, or he would have ran into Shadi. Personally, I don't know which one is worse."_

Akefia had to agree with Ryou in that. While he had never gotten to know Shaa-da all too well, it was obvious that three thousand years of yielding to Millennium Items and killing for them had really changed the former member of the Pharaoh's Royal Court. By turning him into a stone-hearted bastard, that is. He changed the subject. _"Still, your old man is in for a big surprise! He two-good-shoes son being an active member of the weirdest bunch around!"_

Hearing that, Ryou took a look at the rest of the people in the car. Sugoruku was scolding Malik over how irresponsible it was from his part to begin the Rare Hunters and that he should had found another way to solve his problems (said problem was how to kill the Pharaoh and everyone else the Pharaoh knew), Malik was trying to blame everything on Mariku (even though most of those crimes were _his own _doing), Odeon from the driver's seat was defending Malik by saying that running such a large organization was a sign of maturity (too bad this argument was invalid since most organizations do _not_ run on brainwashing), Kaiba was criticizing Malik's methods (he tried to kill you and you _criticize _on it!?), Mokuba was cheering on his big brother, and Yugi had a glazed look in his eyes; an obvious sign that he was trying to hold back a certain spirit from joining the argument.

_"__Yep, definitely weird."_

Akefia could not contain his laughter, and soon Ryou joined him. Both ignored the stares they got in return.

* * *

Andrew Bakura was pacing up and down in front of the hotel entrance. This early in the morning and under the shade, the temperature was still hot but tolerable. In a few hours it would hit almost fifty degrees Celsius and he was in no mood to be cooked alive. However, right now the scorching desert sun was the least of his concerns.

_Ryou will be here in any minute…_

**"****YES, WE ARE FINALLY HERE!"** Andrew winced at the loud voice, and he, along with everyone else in hearing range turned around to see the source. There in the distance was standing a blond-haired boy, shouting in Japanese like an MC in a reality show. "Welcome to the Hilton Palace Hotel in Cairo! I am hopeful that you will find the accommodation quite satisfying… Besides, only a palace can withstand the glamorous presence of a Pharaoh, the King and Prince of Thieves, the King of Games, the King of Ego, and of course myself in all my sparkly glory!" Laughter and protesting followed the statement, as the group approached the hotel gate, ignoring the disapproving stares they were receiving from all directions.

Andrew determinately turned his back. He was **not **in the mood to deal with a boisterous circus of over-sugared teens.

However one question from that group was that froze him.

"Father?"

…

It was him. It was _him._

"Ryou."

* * *

**Author note: Here is the second chapter! I did not expect it would take me so long to complete it - especially since it did not need much editing - but the important part is, it's complete. I corrected my punctuation, midly modified some scenes to make them more realistic, rephrased some sentences to make more sense, and corrected some typos.**

**For both old and new readers, please review!**

**Oh, and a belayed Happy New Year!**


	3. Meetings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!**

* * *

**Chapter 3  
Meetings**

"Ryou?"

Their entire squad stopped dead in their tracks, and they all examined Ryou's father with expressions ranging from cold disinterest to curiosity. He was a slim man around his forties with long navy blue hair tied in a ponytail, tanned due to the long hours working under the hot Egyptian sun, dressed in sand-colored shirt, hat and pants with many pockets. Basically he looked like the stereotypical archeologist, except older and more tired.

Akefia felt the all too familiar feeling of anger build within him. He growled the man's name in absolute distaste. "Andrew… Bakura."

Ryou was a lot more hesitant in his address. "Um… Hello, father."

Dr. Bakura said nothing, and instead he just laid eyes on his son for the first time in years.

The boy was tall, but still noticeably shorter than his father. He was wearing a striped pink and blue T-shirt, black tight jeans and white tennis shoes, which was not much different from how he always dressed. The ever present Millennium Ring was glittering under the sunlight; it made the doctor uncomfortable just to look at it. His skin was alabaster, just like always. All the baby fat was gone and he looked skinny, but he could see a bit of muscle around his arms. His smooth white hair had grown longer than Andrew remembered then and now reached well below his shoulder blades. His emerald green eyes were the same as ever too, but they were outlined with a bit of eyeliner, and created and incredible contrast with the rest of his pale complexion. He could also see a few scars in there, somehow black in colour. One was half-hidden under the left sleeve of his T-shirt, and the other one going through his left palm. Dr. Bakura had no idea where he could have possibly gotten them, but he had a bad feeling.

Ryou resisted the urge to gulp and gathered himself. He could not run away now. Besides, his father had never done anything to him…

Sugoruku, sensing Ryou's unease, decided to take the lead. He addressed the man with a cheerful smile, well-practiced from all these years of manning a game shop. "Hello, sir! You are Ryou's father, are you not?"

Dr. Bakura was somewhat surprised when this complete stranger greeted him, but he replied anyway. "Dr. Andrew Bakura."

Sugoruku took his hand in a warm handshake. "Sugoruku Motou. Nice to meet you!"

Andrew felt a wave of relief as he recognized the man in front of him. "Honoured to meet you, Professor."

The grandpa waved his off. "Please, don't call me professor! I'm retired!"

"Alright then, Motou-san."

"Well, kids!" Sugoruku beamed, turning around to face the group. "Why don't you introduce yourselves?"

Yugi went first, chirping his name with a polite bow. "My name is Yugi Motou. Nice to meet you, sir!"

Dr. Bakura stared at him in surprise, or better, his looks. He was told this kid was the same age as his son, but between how short he was and how wide his purple eyes were, he had a hard time believing that. But then again, if the physical department was not a reliable indicator for his age, his… _fashion sense_ certainly was.

Andrew was pretty sure this style was called "punk" or something. He too was wearing a bit of eyeliner, and his _hair._ Good lord. His hair were jet-black, spiked heading upwards and ignoring all laws of gravity, with purple lining the ends and golden bangs framing his face. Andrew had no idea how to even begin to accomplish this look. The kid was wearing navy blue pants that looked too heavy for this weather, a black tank top, a black leather collar with silver studs around his neck, identical bracelets around his wrists, and matching his knee-high boots. In this weather. Andrew was a bit awed. He was also wearing black belts with a deck case hanging from there, and a dark blue bandage tied high on his right arm.

The outfit was concluded by a large golden pendant hanging from a chain that reached low on his abdomen; it looked like a reversed pyramid with the eye of Horus on it. Andrew realized shocked how similar it was to his son's Ring. He resolved to ask about it later.

The man turned to the next teenager, whom he recognized as the one who was yelling earlier. "Malik Ishtar." he said sharply. "You've met my sister, Ishizu."

Andrew disliked the blond already. He expected nothing less. "Yes, I have."

Malik was around the same height as Ryou, slim and kind of muscular, with platinum blond hair that in Andrew's opinion were definitely bleached and sharp lavender eyes heavily underlined with eyeliner, in a style that Andrew had only seen on lithographies and statues in ancient tombs and temples around Egypt. Malik's outfit consisted of a lavender sleeveless hoodie with golden fastenings that exposed his abdomen, black jeans and boots and _loads_ of gold jewelry; golden bracelets that went from the wrist to the elbow, golden bracelets on the upper part of his arm, golden rings around his neck and pointed golden earrings. That "sparkly glory" line suddenly made a lot more sense.

_He probably robbed a museum… He looks like a pimp._

Andrew moved on to the next person. "Odeon Ishtar" he introduced himself in a respectful tone. _The eldest sibling_, Andrew realized. The man in front of him was large, and even underneath his long white traditional Arabic robes, it was obvious that he was very muscular. His skin was dark, even more so than his siblings', and he had hard facial features. His expression was almost a scowl, but Andrew could tell it was more of a habit than anything. Odeon was bald, save from that small portion of hair remaining on the base of his neck. That hair was very long, and Odeon had them tied in a loose ponytail. But the feature that truly unnerved Dr. Bakura was the man's tattoo. Black hieroglyphs adored the left side of his face. Andrew could have sworn they were _carved_ in there.

_Then again, with those weirdoes, they might actually _have_ carved them there._

When he turned his gaze onto the next person, he could not help but widen his eyes in slight awe and recognition. There was no mistaking the man in front of him. Very tall, with sharp blue eyes, straight brown hair that shadowed his face, a black long-sleeved T-shirt and a long white trench-coat that billowed in the non-existent wind, black jeans and black punk boots. The outfit was completed by numerous silver buckles across his arms, a locket around his neck in the shape of a duel monsters' card and the standard silver suitcase with the logo of KC that the young CEO was always carrying with him.

"Mr. Kaiba" greeted Dr. Bakura. "It's an honour to meet you." Andrew had heard various rumors about the man's personality and didn't want to provoke him. Seto Kaiba examined the archeologist in disinterest, and Andrew froze under the gaze. A frozen blue scowl, like the young CEO was the judge that now decided the blue-haired man's fate. Andrew quickly averted his gaze. He did **not **like this feeling.

The last person introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Mokuba Kaiba!" he cheered in a manner identical to Yugi's causing the CEO to scowl even further. Andrew eyed Mokuba in surprise, one for being Kaiba's brother, and two for being so un-Kaiba-like. A young boy with long messy black hair and regular street clothes that consisted of a stripped blue-and-white long-sleeved T-shirt, a yellow jacket, sneakers and a red bandana around his neck. He was also wearing a locket around his neck that was identical to the one his brother had. If he looked closely, Andrew _could_ spot some similarities between the two – they had the same eyes, for one, but at first glance, it was simply impossible to tell.

"If we are done with the introductions" spoke Kaiba in an irritated tone "I'd like to return to my jet. I have a company to run."

"Not so fast, Mr. Money-Bags!" cut him off Malik, ignoring the glare that said Money-Bags threw at him. Andrew was incredulous. _Money-Bags…? _"My sis wants to talk to you, Ry and Yug. She's inside."

_"__I wonder what this is all about"_ Ryou asked his other half through their mental link.

Akefia was thoughtful. _"I think it might has something to do with that vision of ours a week ago. It _did _show the Millennium Items after all."_

_"__True, but that vision didn't make much sense. It did not confirm any events or anything. It was random images for the most part."_

Akefia shrugged. _"We'll figure it out later."_

_"__I just hope not _too_ late…"_

At their side, Atem and Yugi had a similar conversation. _"Do you think this is related to the Millennium Items?"_

_"__I do, Yugi. I am sure however that Ishizu will explain her reasons to us." _Yugi agreed with that. Both he and Atem trusted Ishizu and were certain of her loyalty to the Pharaoh.

"But for now!" announced Malik, causing several people around to jump at his sudden yell "Let's go to our rooms!"

* * *

"So, let's see… Gramps and Yug are together in room, erm… 563, Kaiba and Mokuba are in suite 4 on the top floor, Ry and I are in room 564, right across you guys."

Malik was just done handing over to anyone the key-cards for their hotel rooms. Dr. Bakura shifted uncomfortably at those numbers; his own room was number 238, three floors below Ryou's.

He didn't know what to make of that.

Were the Ishtars trying to distant him and Ryou on purpose? Most probably, yes. But if so, why? What were their reasons? What did make Ryou so unique to them? He forcibly brought his thoughts to a halt at that. What did _not _make Ryou unique? Andrew almost sneered at the thought. Could Ryou be registered as something as _mild _as _unique_? No- it **had **to be registered as unique; it couldn't be anything more, it should _not_. His son was just a bit odd, nothing more.

Andrew's mind flashed for once more to Ryou's letter, but he stopped it. It did not matter. If he could not go to Kul' Elna now, he would go some other time. Now the primary concern were the Ishtars. What in the world did Ishizu Ishtar want to say that she had to share it with a multibillionaire CEO, a – no – **the** dueling champion and his son? Inspiration seemed to come to the Doctor's mind as he remembered Professor Hawking and his insane theories. Maybe this had something to do with those? When he thought about it like that, it did make sense; according to those theories, ancient Egyptians used to fight with monsters, and Dr. Bakura knew for a fact that Ishizu Ishtar believed those things. Maybe this had something to do with KaibaCorp, being a gaming company all about duel monsters and such.

Yes, that must be it.

* * *

Around a table in one of the private suits in the hotel, sat six people, with three – or five, depending how you see it – of them wondering what the meeting was all about.

Well, for Ishizu Ishtar, it was five. "Good evening, Seto Kaiba, Yugi Motou, Ryou Bakura, Thief King and my Pharaoh." She bowed to the last name. Kaiba sneered slightly at that, while both Akefia and Atem made an appearance in their spirit forms, knowing that two of the three Ishtars could see them. Akefia particularly had a raised eyebrow, an expression fitting more to Yugi's Yami, Ryou mused.

_"__I didn't expect the Priestess wannabe to call me by that title_" he commented, trying to hide the surprise that came from the exclamation of respect from the former Tomb Keeper.

Ryou smiled softly. His Yami was not used to this kind of treatment. _"You did put quite an effort in creating it"_ he replied, knowing that the ancient Tomb Robber would appreciate the comment.

Akefia would probably have said something to boast, had not Ishizu continued her speech. "Ryou Bakura, you had sent me a while ago a letter about a vision you had a week and a half ago."

Both Yami and Yugi looked at the albino in surprise, while Kaiba sneered again. Even though he was secretly more accepting to the concept of magic now – it would be hard not to after everything that happened, not that he would admit it – fortune telling and everything related to it was still a bunch of bullshit to him. He had _proven_ it did not work.

Ryou nodded and waited for Ishizu to continue. "You had mentioned that the vision was related to the Millennium Items." Now everyone's interest was perked.

Ryou, sensing that it was his turn to speak, took a quick permission from his Yami and then nodded. "Yes. Some of the Millennium Items are about to change owners."

All the people present felt a chill run through their spines. Items changing hands never meant anything good. "For which Items are we talking about?" demanded the Pharaoh.

"The Puzzle and the Ring stay where they are, so no worries about that…" trailed off Ryou.

"The Rod goes to the Priest." Most jumped at Akefia's sudden announcement, and stared at him wide eyed. They never expected from _him_ to say _that_. Kaiba was staring at the man in shock, for once not even bothering to hide the fact that he could see him. That was just about the last thing he expected to hear today. Akefia snapped in annoyance. "Don't look at me like that! It's not like I was the one who decided it!"

"Anyway" interrupted Ryou, before everyone gets into yet another argument "the Rod goes to Kaiba-san. It was his anyway."

The CEO was about to protest but Atem threw him a sharp look. "Anything else?" asked the Pharaoh.

"The Necklace goes back to you Ishizu-san. As for the other two…" Ryou turned to the thief. _"Should we?"_

_"__Better do. Who knows what happens if we don't."_

Ryou nodded and reached for his pocket. Slowly, he placed the Millennium Eye on the table. "This one goes to Malik."

A few seconds passed as everyone stared at the item in pure disbelief. Then…

"Where in Ra's name did you get THAT!?"

It did not matter who yelled it. Ryou flinched back. Akefia set a hand on his shoulder. "I took it from Pegasus."

"Wait… All the way back in Duelist Kingdom?"

"Yep."

"And you managed to hide it all this time?"

"Pretty much."

"And you took it back after that Ancient Egypt RPG?"

"Obviously."

The people around the table just stared at them both. One could cut the tension with a knife. Slowly, Malik reached across the table, his hand hesitating over the Eye. Somehow the tension grew even thicker, expressions of apprehension all over.

Then Malik grasped the Eye, and nothing happened.

The room itself sighed in relief.

Malik examined the Eye in his hand curiously. "So this thing was in Pegasus's eye-socket?"

Akefia grinned. "Yep. I ripped it right out."

"_Cool_."

The Pharaoh notably resisted the urge to facepalm.

Yugi let out a heavy sigh. "Somehow, I should really have expected that." Generic nods of agreement followed the statement.

The elder Ishtar brother decided it was high time to change the subject. "So, what about the last two items?"

Ryou looked troubled now. "The Key stays with Shadi… It's the Scales that trouble me."

"What about them?"

"The vision was very… vague about them, like mist or fog was covering the whole thing. I saw Shadi have them but… I don't know. I sensed the presence of another person. Maybe two."

The pharaoh was troubled. "The presence of another person…? Or even two of them?"

"Does that mean…" asked Yugi "…that the Scales will be taken!?"

"It could."

Yugi and Atem exchanged long gazes. They knew the terror of the Millennium Scales better than most. If anyone was to ever take them… "The kind of damage that they could cause…"

"Wait a sec!" In a blink of the eye, Malik was up. "Do we know him? Or her? Or them? And can they even_ use_ the item!?"

"I don't know" said Ryou with a regretful air. "Like I said, that part of the vision was clouded. All I know is that the fate of the Scales is uncertain. However, the people I saw… I have no idea who they were."

"What _can_ you tell about them?"

Ryou pondered the question. "Magic. Foreign, I didn't recognize it, but definitely there. And… anger. So much anger…"

Atem scowled. "Then we definitely can't afford to have the Scales taken. Who knows what they'd do with it."

"Yeah, but how are we even supposed to find Shadi?" complained Malik. "The guy's a ghost! Literally!"

"And what about this unknown magic? Where do we even start investigating that one?"

Ryou had crouched down with his head on the table, holding on like dear life. "I don't know!"

Seeing their friend's state, the rest quieted down. "Sorry, Ryou."

"No… It's okay…"

It was not, but they did not continue it. For a moment they all stayed silent, not sure what to say.

"Speaking of mysterious magic" started Ishizu "I have found a person that we need to look further into."

That was enough to catch their attention.

Ishizu reached for her bag, which had remained untouched up to this point, and revealed an office folder covered with Arabic and English. She placed it on the table and motioned for everyone to come closer. From the photo stared a young man with tanned skin, long flaming red hair in a ponytail, bright blue eyes and multiple freckles covering his whole face. He had a tooth earring on one ear, giving him the look of a punk rocker.

"William Arthur Weasley?"

Ishizu nodded. "His coworkers call him "Bill". He came from England as part of an archeological team to do field work, but I'm fairly certain that's just a cover. I have sensed a weak but strange and ever persistent magic signature coming from him. Not to mention, his credentials have several holes on them."

Right on cue, Kaiba grabbed the folder and started examining the credentials himself. Being an experienced businessman with more than justified paranoia, he had learned how to detect a falsity in any document instantly.

"Too smooth. Too dry." The rest stared in confusion. Kaiba huffed.

Ishizu waited for a moment before continuing. "His family visited during the summer two years ago, and several workers on the site reported very odd behaviour from almost all of them, as well as other odd happenings."

"Such as?"

"Tools changing colour, stuff going missing and then reappearing, that sort of thing."

"And you think that's magic."

"It's possible. I believe the Millennium Eye will be very useful for this."

Malik nearly fell off his chair. "You _want_ me to read someone's mind!?"

His sister looked as if she regretted this already, but she did not take it back. "Yes. And I advise you take Ryou with you. Mr. Weasley is acquainted with your father, so approaching him should be easier."

The mention of the elder Bakura brought a sour taste to Ryou's mouth, but he did not protest. Miss Ishizu had a point. Besides, seeing Malik so giddy was enough to cheer him up.

The conversation came to an awkward end. Technically, their business was concluded, but the whole thing felt incomplete. Then again, there were probably many conversations that ended like that when people had nothing more to say.

It was Kaiba who broke the silence. "So that's it? Because I have a company to run."

Without a further word he got up, picked his suitcase and turned to leave.

"Hey! You forgot the Rod!"

Kaiba turned and threw the Rod a long look. Ryou knew that look from himself. It was the look that accused the object before him of all the troubles in his life, a look of anger mixed with a sliver of fear.

"You can keep it. I don't need it."

"I wish" said Malik. "Seriously, I don't want to give it to you, Money-bags, but Sis will have my head."

"Malik!" The "Sis" sounded scandalized.

Kaiba made no motion. He just kept staring at the rod, as if in had enamored him in some way. He stood still for a full minute until Akefia decided that he had enough. "For Ra's shake you stupid Priest, take that fucking stick already!" And with that he grabbed the Rod and banged Kaiba on the head, effectively knocking him out.

"Ouch!" mocked Malik with a grin. "That must have hurt!" He shared a bump-fist with the satisfied-looking thief. Yugi sweat-dropped, Ryou sighted a little, Atem facepalmed, Odeon cracked a smirk, and Ishizu released a heavy sigh and said something about men.

"Odeon. Please carry Mr. Kaiba to his room."

* * *

Somewhere in England, a young woman was sitting inside her shop while counting her money. She sighed to herself in disappointment. "Looks like I have to get myself another job again… I don't have enough money this week." That was a perpetual problem for her. Her competition was no other than the legendary wand maker Ollivander, who had more than earned his reputation as a wandmaker. While she was selling a lot more trinkets than just wands – and no Mr. Ministry Official, they were _not_ scams – she still had financial problems. She had to take part-time jobs all the time to help cover her expenses.

A sudden knock behind her startled her. It was far too early for any customer.

With slow movements, she grabbed her weapon under the counter, making sure to keep it hidden. She called out. "Hello? We're not open yet!"

She blinked and a man was standing there. She startled. She revealed her weapon.

And the strange man found himself face-to-face with a shotgun.

"Who are you, how did you get here and what do you want. And don't do anything funny, or else I'll shoot."

Well. This was certainly not what he expected when he went to test a New Age witch. However, he still had a duty to uphold.

"My name is Shaadi. I am a Grave Keeper, a servant of Anubis. I am here to give a test and a warning. Your fate is about to change."

* * *

**Author notes: ****Hello, everyone! Sorry I kept you waiting!**

**As you can see, this is the third chapter of the rewrite, but personally I would call it the first. Before I was mostly just doing polishing and fixing typos. This is the first chapter where things start to actually deviate from the original.**

**One of the major problems with the original was that my OC was other than Mary Sue-ish, overbearing before she actually got any plot relevance. I used this chance to completely rewrite her character to more realistic proportions, and reduce her presence. I also used it to introduce new plot elements, and properly justify a scene in the next chapter.**

**This new version is actually shorter than the original because of these changes, but I don't regret it. I feel that it flows better and is more realistic now. And I could not resist the cliffhanger ending.**

**And before you mock my "realistic", I do have an explanation for the shotgun. You'll see it in later chapters.**

**For now, please read and review!**


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